1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for selecting a wireless local area network within a cell to be accessed by a user equipment in a mobile communication system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Due to the recent rapid development of wireless communication technology, mobile communication system technology also has evolved. Examples of such mobile communication systems include a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) corresponding to a 3rd generation mobile communication technology and a Long Term Evolution (LTE) system having a spotlight as a 4th generation mobile communication technology. Further, as the distribution of smart phones expands, data use users also significantly increases. Accordingly, mobile communication network service providers attempt to distribute data of the users by interworking wireless Local Area Networks (LANs), in addition to conventional mobile communication networks, in order to cope with the significantly increasing data usage.
However, in an environment where a current mobile communication network and the wireless LAN interwork with each other, the mobile communication network and the wireless LAN independently work, except for some limited functions (e.g., authentication). Accordingly, when a User Equipment (UE) desires to use a wireless LAN, the UE is required to continuously search for neighboring wireless LANs, since the UE cannot know a position of the corresponding wireless LAN. Further, in order to search for the wireless LAN, power must be supplied to a wireless LAN communication unit of the UE, which increases overall power consumption of the UE.
Further, even when a UE cannot easily access a wireless LAN, the UE attempts to access the wireless LAN increase power consumption and delays. For example, when the user finds a neighboring wireless LAN while the user is travelling by car and waits for a traffic light to change, the UE may attempt to access a found wireless LAN. In this case, problems may occur in which the UE attempts to search for and access unnecessary wireless LANs when the light changes and the user moves again.